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Richmond Raceway eSports Bonanza to Take Place Prior to the TOYOTA OWNERS 400

Richmond Raceway eSports Bonanza to Take Place Prior to the TOYOTA OWNERS 400

As Richmond Raceway continues to lead the eSports evolution in NASCAR, the track will host the Richmond Raceway eSports Bonanza (eSports Bonanza) prior to the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Saturday, April 21. Richmond is partnering with 704Games, NASCAR’s official video game licensee, iRacing, NASCAR’s official online racing series racing simulation, along with Sim Seats, Velocity Micro, andAaron’s for the eSports Bonanza. The event will take place at Virginia Credit Union LIVE! from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include a NASCAR Heat 2 Tournament and iRacing Tips & Tricks powered by Richmond-based Velocity Micro.

“Richmond Raceway eSports has taken off since it launched in January, and the Toyota Spring Race Weekend programming is leading our efforts to new heights,” said Richmond President Dennis Bickmeier. “From a fitness segment geared towards eSports athletes to our second race weekend NASCAR Heat 2 Tournament, the Richmond Raceway eSports Bonanza will engage with gamers from beginner to expert mode. I look forward to welcoming eSports participants from around the country to Virginia Credit Union LIVE! on Saturday, April 21.”

The Richmond Raceway eSports Bonanza will kick off with a fitness segment specifically designed for Sim racers. Fit Academy Founder and former Green Bay Packer Osayi Osunde, an American Council of Exercise certified personal trainer, will lead a 30-minute session that will help gamers be in their best shape for the rest of the event.

Once the eSports racers are warmed up, the NASCAR Heat 2 Tournament will begin. This first come, first serve tournament hosted at Virginia Credit Union LIVE!, formerly The Classic Amphitheater, is open to all fans with a TOYOTA OWNERS 400 race ticket. There is no pre-registration needed for the tournament. Contestants will race in heats of 12 with six using Xbox One controllers and the remaining six participants driving on simulators built by Sim-Seats with five to six-minute-long heats to qualify. The Top 20 will be determined, and then competitors will play one another to determine the Spring NASCAR Heat 2 Champion. Prizes will be award to the champion and will include the opportunity to compete head-to-head with a NASCAR personality in a 10-minute race.

“Richmond Raceway is paving the way for tracks to bring eSports to NASCAR fans,” said Ed Martin, President of 704Games. “704Games is proud to partner with Richmond Raceway as they expand their eSports outreach with the NASCAR Heat 2 Tournament and other partner events at the TOYOTA OWNERS 400.”

NASCAR Heat 2 is the sequel to the successful NASCAR Heat Evolution, published by 704Games anddeveloped by Monster Games. Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, is featured on the cover. The game includes the three NASCAR national series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and is available on Xbox One, the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC via Steam. To learn more about NASCAR Heat 2, visit nascarheat.com.

The second portion of the Richmond Raceway eSports Bonanza will be iRacing Tips & Tricks powered by Velocity Micro. CHAOS CREW iRacing Team drivers Michael Conti, Marcus Richardson, Nick Ottinger, and Jimmy Mullis will give advice and best practices for participating in iRacing. Using computers that were custom built by Velocity Micro, the CHAOS CREW iRacing Team will partake in a 15-minute demonstration using six Sim-Seats simulators. They will be joined by a NASCAR personality, and the Honorary Pace Car driver for the TOYOTA OWNERS 400, actor Michael Rooker. The session will end with a Q&A with additional insights to be shared.

“A need for speed and a desire to build the fastest, most precisely crafted desktops possible has been a part of our core identity as a company since we were founded, making this a perfect fit for us,” said Josh Covington, Velocity Micro Director of Sales and Marketing. “We’re thrilled to have our custom PCs powering this event and look forward to engaging with iRacing enthusiasts, eSports gamers, and NASCAR fans alike.”

“Richmond Raceway has really stepped up their eSport presence and we’re thrilled to have them in our sim,” said Otto Szebeni, iRacing’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “Their iRacing team, CHAOS CREW, competes in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series – NASCAR’s only officially sanctioned online World Championship series.”

The online eSport series has paid out over $100,000 in cash and prizes to the best sim racers in the world. Members range from all levels including Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and more. Fans never know who will be in a race that they join. The sim/game includes the complete NASCAR ladder from Legend cars to Late Models to Modified, and all three top touring series cars/trucks, along with various types of racing including dirt, open wheel and sports cars. To learn more about iRacing, visit www.iRacing.com.

Tickets for the Toyota Spring Race Weekend and Fall Playoff Race Weekend, presented by Who’s Your Driver, are available for purchase in-person at the Richmond Ticket Office, via phone at 866-455-7223, or online at richmondraceway.com.

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“It just doesn’t get any better than Richmond Raceway. It’s the ultimate in short-track racing, and doesn’t get any more exciting than that. This is where my first victory came. Richmond is always going to be special for me.”

Tony Stewart3-Time Cup Champion & Co-Owner of Stewart-Haas Racing

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